Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try right clicking the link then open in new tab or window; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.
Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!
Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).
1 John 1:9, says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time: REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
The Lord Used 3 Bible Story Illustrations of Doctrinal Great Men.
Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try right clicking the link then open in new tab or window; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.
Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!
Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).
1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [your unknown or forgotten sins] ." NKJV [New King James Version] [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
The Lord Used 3 Bible Story Illustrations of Doctrinal Great Men.
There are three different individuals that our Lord used as illustrations of doctrinal Men who made an impression upon Him because of their response to Him and the doctrinal message that He was teaching:
1.The first one is known as the Nobleman who walked for miles to ask Jesus to heal His son who was about to die a physical death.
2. There was the military solder called the Centurion who was willing to go and beg our Lord for one of his soldiers to be healed physically because He loved His slave or his servant as one of his sons.
3. There was a scribe who was known as an intellectual who would say things but not do them to try and impress our Lord by saying the right thing but not do them when he was asked.
So that we have; 1. A son, A slave, A scribe
The first one we call the nobleman who had faith and believed the words of the Lord. He was a man who had true faith which is the result of trusting the Words of God.
The adult spiritual Faith in God’s word is preferred over faith in God’s wonders.
This is because God may not always do wonders and miracles but His word is always around and it does wonders, especially when the believer learns how to perceive and metabolize the Word and applies it whenever he needs it.
Remember what the prophet Isaiah said about the word of God in Isa 55:8-11?
Isa 55:8-11, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
You may have not heard some of the principles we are about to learn concerning those individuals who have positive volition toward the Word of God, just relax because your blessings are coming in God’s perfect time.
This is why we are reminded by Solomon of the wise advice he gives us Ecc 3:1-7, There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
Please notice that we can’t always win, sometimes it’s better to accept defeat for the better good. No one likes to lose but there are times when the best thing for everyone is just that, you should be prepared for a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
When you realize that the most valuable thing you have is right inside of you as a treasure and that it is not materialism, land, houses, money, but the thought content in our soul, and the friends and family that the Lord has given to you.
As I mentioned a few times this past month in Job 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Look at Ecc 5:15, As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.
Go forward to the New Testament passage on this subject,
1Ti 6:6-7, But godliness [eusbeia or living the spiritual life] actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
Now, while we are here, I am going to give you the mystery doctrine translation from the original language of the Greek which we noted when we studied the book of Philippians verse by verse from the original language.
Phil 4:4-5, Keep on having perfect happiness by means of the Lord at all times; Once more I repeat the command, keep on having perfect happiness. Let your super grace mental attitude be known to all men. The Lord is near.
This is how we should live our life as we think the Lord is very near, especially because of the historical trends that are taken place in our nation and through-out the world. It doesn’t take too much discernment to recognize that the Lord is on His way to stop the world from self-destruction.
Especially because of the rulers of the cosmic system, Phil 4:6, “Stop worrying about anything, but in every circumstance through prayer and through supplication for personal needs after thanksgivings let your requests or petitions be revealed to the God.
The apostle Paul is challenging all of us to make sure our thinking is correct when it comes to the last days, we are living in.
Phil 4:7, In fact, that spiritual peace and prosperity that comes from the source of the God, which surpasses or rises above and beyond all comprehension, shall garrison your hearts [right lobes] also your motivation minds in Christ Jesus.
We need more than ever to notice that we are to be sure that the last days we are living in is a time where spiritual peace comes from God and surpasses or rises above and beyond all the lies that will be thrown our way – such as the flaming missiles of the evil one.
Phil 4:8-13, From now on, members of the Royal family of God, whatever is true [doctrinal], whatever is honorable [noble or worthy of respect], whatever is just [fair or right], whatever is pure [of proper motivation] whatever personal loves exist, whatever is commendable, These things [doctrinal principles] also you have learned and have understood by means of me [Paul’s teaching ministry]. Be putting these into action and the God of prosperity shall be with you, all of you [supergrace believers]. Now, I have received much inner happiness by means of the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern or thinking for me; indeed, you also were thinking about me, but you lacked the opportunity to express it.
Not because I am speaking with reference to poverty or lack; for I have learned to be content or I have learned the secret of the mystery in whatever circumstances I am.
In fact, I have come to experience, or I have come to know how to be degraded. [divine discipline for reversionism.] Also I have come to know, what it is to live in prosperity, [that’s supergrace, or ultrasuper grace.]
In every place and in all circumstances I have been initiated into the mystery both how to be well fed, saturated with doctrine, and to hunger for more doctrine, leading to ultra super grace. I have the endowed power, [maximum doctrine resident in the soul] to attain all things, [ultra super grace and dying grace] By means of the One, God the Holy Spirit who keeps on pouring the power, the doctrine into me.
This principle is found in Phil 4:4-13, and when you truly understand it and live in the principles that Paul teaches us, you have really begun to learn the “secret of the mystery” or “the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.”
Once again, the doctrine that you possess, especially the mystery doctrine of the church-age, will change your life. It will change the way you think which is the highest system of thinking in the Church-age since it is the very thinking of GOD.
So, Both the Nobleman and the Centurion lived in these principles in the dispensation of the Hypostatic-union and I am sure that they entered into the Church-age and enjoyed the “principles” of mystery doctrine.
The purpose of the miracle is to magnify the importance of faith in our Lord. Faith is simply applying the result of trusting the words of God. Now, the nobleman believed the Lord’s word regarding his son. And we also see the obvious here, that distance is no barrier to the power of God.
This Faith in God’s word is preferred over faith in God’s wonders. And that is because God may not always do wonders but His word is always around and it does wonders. This is especially true when the believer learns how to perceive, metabolize, and apply the Word of GOD to every situation in life.
There is another man who was tested by our Lord in in Mat 8, where thousands are following the Lord at this time. This time we have a centurion, a Roman leader usually over a century of soldiers which is more than likely over 100 men or so. In fact, beginning in Mat 8:5, And when He [TLJC=the Lord Jesus Christ] had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating or literally begging Him, to heal one of his soldiers who He apparently cared a lot for one of his soldiers. So, here is another soldier who trusted in God so much that he was willing to go beyond the normal care and love for one of his own, no matter what He could do.
Mat 8:10, Now when Jesus heard {this,} He marveled, and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”
The Lord admired this man so much because he was willing to go as far as he could because as a soldier who, he had something that very few Jews had in our Lord’s day and very few believers even have today, and that was character, virtue, nobility, love.
These qualities were rarely found in Jerusalem, in our Lord’s own people, let alone in the Romans where most people would never expect that they should have been manifested by our Lord and His own people.
Mat 8:18, Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side. Our Lord knew why this crowd is following Him because the answer is simple and right before our eyes. Our Lord is about to give us a command but before He does, He makes an estimate of the situation.
Jesus saw “great multitudes” or “great crowds” following Him for different reasons and different motivations. Our Lord is going to do something to begin to separate those who were serious about His calling on their life and those who are not.
There are times that Jesus has to separate the disciples from the crowd so that they can concentrate on what is being taught. That’s exactly what a church or a local assembly is for. It is to take you away from the realm of society and separate you for a short period of time to learn doctrine or the plan of God.
Remember, as we noted this past week “Crowds” or “herds” of people always have some agenda or evil influences upon believers who are positive and those who are not.
This is why if anyone of you desire to follow Him, you must prepare yourself for separation when it comes, either presently or in the future. We have noted the principle that it is not being around Jesus that matters but it is listening and concentrating on following His commands when He gives them that matters. A minority is going to obey His commands; the majority will reject those very same commands that commands. Others are going to come up with excuses and others won’t even hear it as they should because they don’t concentrate. If you don’t concentrate in learning you can never apply what you have learned when you need to. The key to anything in life is concentration!
Before the word Christian, the faith was known as “the Way” among the Jews of Jerusalem (Ac 9:2) as well as among the Gentiles (Ac 19:23). The word Christian was mentioned the first time in Ac 11:26 And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. But always remember, crowds never accomplish anything! Congregations do.
Now, how do you separate those who are positive toward Christ in the crowd from those who are negative? How do you separate the men from the boys? Well, you give a command that will only serious students of the word of God would follow. You reveal to them the sufferings that they may have to go through without getting paid for what they will be asked to do.
Our Lord in Mat 8:18, gave a command (order) to depart to the other side (of the lake). Sometimes His requests seem to be strange and that’s when we need to trust Him. So, here He is going to command them to get into a ship. Why?
So that they will be away from the crowd and isolated under His authority and teaching without distractions and therefore, away from the mob or the crowd.
Remember Exo 23:2, “You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice;
You must break away from the mob! You cannot have Bible class in the mob! You cannot have dedication and devotion while at the same time be looking all around at the sights of distractions.
Now, this order or command causes a crisis to develop in some souls because it’s a crisis that demands a decision. Many believers are going to be casualties and their lip-service to our Lord is going to be exposed, either normally or abnormally. Many won’t separate from the mob to join the congregation. Many choose people over the Lord. In Mat 8:19, we are told that this was a certain scribe who thought more highly of himself then what he ought to. He is distracted because of his pride and so-called intelligence. Often this word scribe means someone who is even over-educated at times but he is also very bored because he always has to give his opinion.
So, here was a certain scribe. We are going to find out he was a pseudo-intellectual. A pseudo-intellectual is simply a person who had some pride of the soul using his knowledge to rationalize away faith. He may be an expert in his field, or his business but, he never gets with truth because he lives in knowledge and not wisdom. He may even have a very high I.Q and be very smart, but in most cases he has no roots in doctrine. Therefore, he is a pseudo-intellectual.
A pseudo-intellectual is one who has knowledge that makes him or her proud. He is puffed up and as Pr 18:2 tells us, he is a “know it all.” Now, the scribe has a very high I.Q. In fact, he is brilliant. He is attracted to Christ because of His intellect. He loves the wisdom that Christ has but he doesn’t really believe that our Lord knows more than Him. In Mat 8:19, we read, And a certain scribe came and said to Him;
Notice this man’s arrogant and bold approach. Jesus has just said, “Let’s depart to the other side.” But here’s a man who loves to make commitments and does not care if he keeps them and wants everyone to know how smart he is. He makes the following statement in front of a lot of witnesses. “Master, I will follow you wherever you go.” He wants everyone to hear this.
First of all, the word master is didaskalos which is translated professor or teacher. He recognizes the Lord as a teacher but not as Lord. He is respectful but he doesn’t really accept the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore He doesn’t accept the plans and words of God the Father. Mat 10:40, He who receives you receives Me and he that receives Me receives Him that sent Me. Here is a scribe bragging of how loyal and faithful he is to Christ.
Being emotional he makes a verbal dedication. That’s what emotional people do! They say things that they really don’t mean. His emotions are expressed through sincerity. He makes a dogmatic statement in his sincerity. In fact, it’s very interesting that when this scribe makes a statement like “I will follow you” the original language shows the scribe considers that Jesus is lucky to have him. In other words, the scribe thinks he is doing Jesus a big favor by following Him!
Wherever you go, he said, “I will follow you wherever!” He thinks Jesus is bluffing! Why would Jesus leave all these people? To the scribe, the departure of our Lord is a possibility not a reality. This type of person always says things like; “He is going to follow Jesus, but he never does.” This type of person always says he or she is going to operate in his or her spiritual gift but ignores the responsibility of doing so. They see a need and say, “They will take care of it, but they are too busy to keep their vows.”
We will see what our Lord sees all the time which are believers who become reversionistic. All we can do is thank God for His grace and blessings which He has given us in the midst of the devil’s world as we face some of the most difficult times in our life. And really, as most of us realize, with the freedom that our Lord reveals to us which is the fact that we really have seen nothing yet from our invisible enemy, Satan and his Kingdom of God.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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